Process of treating flax-straw.



J. E. LAPPEN.

PROCESS OF TREATING FLAX STRAW.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, mo.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

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PROCESS OF TREATING FLAX STRAW. APPLIQATION men [LINE 30. 19:0.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

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JAMES EJLAPPEN, OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO UNION FIBRE COMPANY, OF WINONA, MINNEfiOTA, A CORPORATION.

PROCESS OF TREATING FLAX-STRAW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

Application at June 30, 1910. Serial No. 569,787;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. LAPPEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winona, in the county of Winona and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Flax-Straw; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in the preparation of flax straw for the manufacture of heat insulating sheets, boards or felt, the objects of the invention being to simplify the process whereby the time consumed in the treatment may be shortened, breakage of the fiber reduced,

and by a single treatment the fiber separated from the shives or woody portions, incrustive matter, vegetable gum, etc., and properly entangled for subsequent treatment.

An apparatus for carrying the present invention into practice is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan View and Fig. 2 is a sectional View in a vertical plane indicatedby the line 22 of Fig. 1-.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

In the apparatus illustrated a liquid holding at A is provided, preferably of oval or elongated contour and having a mid-feather B to form two channels through which material in the tank may be caused to circulate.

At an appropriate point in the channel, preferably about the center of one side of the tank, there is journaled a cylinder or large roll C having peripheral pins or relatively thin projecting teeth of considerable length.

In the tank and preferably immediately below the roll is a support E for a cooperating group of pins or elongated teeth between which the pins D on the roll pass when the roll is rotated. For rotating the roll its shaft may be provided with a pulley or other appropriate driving connections.

A compartment or settling chamber G is formed beneath the tank and one reach of the channel in the tank is provided with a foraminous bottom preferably formed by Wire screening K of rather large mesh through which certain of the material separated from the fiber may pass into the set tling chamber and'be subsequently withdrawn through the clean-out opening H.

The entire flax straw is'placed in the vat with hot waterand chemicals to facilitate degumming and by the beating, hackling or scutching operation of the teeth, performed while the straw is entirely submerged, the Bhives, woody portions and incrustive materials are broken loose from the fiber and the fiber itself without being broken is degummed, thoroughly entangled and left in condition for economical treatment in the formation of flax felt, sheets or boards for heat insulating purposes.

In treating the straw in accordance with the present invention it is found that, while when firstseparated a portion of the shi'ves, Woody portions, etc., will rise to the top of the vat, they quickly become water soaked, Sink and become cdmmingled with the fiber which latter is normally of greater specific gravity than the liquid. The comminuted heavier material will escape through the foraminous section of the bottom into the settling tank and may be discharged with the waste liquor or .withdrawn through the clean-out opening.

The formation of the teeth on the roll and the fixed cooperating teeth is such that there is no cutting action on the fiber as in a beating engine, but the action is a hackling, scutching or beating action which leaves the fiber long and in good condition for felting. By conducting the operations on the fiber while immersed breakage of the fiber is prevented and'the degumming is facilitated by the beating and working of the fiber, thus the whole process is practically concluded in one operation upon the straw.

Having thus described my invention,-what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is The process of treating flax straw for the manufacture of felted heat insulating sheets which consists in immersing the whole flax straw, previously untreated, in a degumming solution, circulating the straw freely in the solution and subjecting the samewhile immersed repeatedly to a beating and hackling action, whereby the breakage of the fiber is prevented and the degumming facilitated, the shives, fiber, and

incrustive matter being separated and the fiber and a portion of the. shives being commlngled 1n one operatlon.

JAMES E. LAPPEN.

Witnesses -OMAR GOULD, A. G. BROWN. 

